Consider one or more of the following in preparation for your oration:

Share one or two events from the life of Saint Raphael, prior to his coming to America, that you believe shaped his ministry here in North America.

Speak about the rich experiences that Saint Raphael had in being educated in the Middle East, Greece and Russia and how those diverse experiences helped him serve in North America. Explain how those experiences may be a model towards Orthodox unity.

Share why Saint Raphael believed that well-educated clergy are essential to the life of the Church and to the spreading of the Orthodox Faith in North America.

Speak about Saint Raphael's experience of monasticism, (his own and that which he witnessed in Russia), and speak on how that experience may have prepared him for the disciplined and sacrificial life he led as a priest and bishop in North America.

Following the example of Saint Raphael, speak on how you as a North American teen can share your Orthodox Faith with others and bring witness to the Orthodox Church and salvation in Jesus Christ. What qualities, as a good shepherd (as a Bishop), did you find most appealing in Saint Raphael? What did you personally learn from the life of Saint Raphael that has motivated you to live your Orthodox Faith?

Speak about the courage Saint Raphael had as a young man, as a deacon, as a priest, and as a Bishop. How do you think the courage of Saint Raphael's parents and the Christian community during the time of his birth formed Saint Raphael's own courage and conviction to stand up for the needs of the Church and her people, both in his homeland and in North America? How was the courage that Saint Raphael displayed throughout his life a source of hope, direction, strength, and benefit to the Church and the people whom he served?

* Oratorical Submission Deadline is Two Weeks before each Parish Life Conference. Contact each diocesan coordinator for more details.

The Bible Bowl and Oratorical Festivals are hosted by the Fellowship of St. John the Divine. Topics developed and printed by the Department of Youth and Parish Ministry with the blessing of the Metropolitan.